Disclaimer: I own nothing! HP is not mine! None of it is! Don't sue me!

Authors Note: Urgh. I have newbie-syndrome and I got it bad. First, my disclaimer and author's note doesn't show up into the first chapter. I also find out too late that the spell check didn't work for chapter two, so I apologize for the terrible spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Hopefully, I will get better at this, but thank you for baring with me! Anyway, on with the show...

Chapter 3: The Bad Day

"Harry! Harry! Get up!"

Ron was shaking Harry by the shoulders, his hair messy, and looking frantic.
"S'matter?" Harry asked sleepily.
"We overslept!"

Harry was fully awake now.
"WHAT?!"

"Just get up!" Yelled Ron, throwing Harry his robes. Harry dressed as quick as he could've in a panic. Never, in his past years at Hogwarts, had he overslept.

"What time is it?!" He asked Ron.

Ron groaned. "It's past breakfast and we're 15 minutes into Transfiguration."

"Damn it!"

Harry put on his shoes, Ron grabbed their books, and they hurled down the stairs and out of Gryffindor tower at breakneck speed.
"how could we have slept in?" Harry asked as they ran down the corridor.
"I dunno. It did take me awhile to go to sleep. I wasn't too tired, but I didn't go to bed that late," said Ron.

"What about the others?"

"Huh?"

"Dean, Seamus, Neville! Why didn't they get us up?"

Ron's eyes grew wide. "Yeah...but forget them! What about Hermione?! How could she let us miss a lesson? You know she would never let us do this, especially with our O.W.L.'s this year."

"We'll have to ask her later," said Harry as they reached the classroom door. "Right now, I'm more worried about what McGonagall's gonna do to us."

"She'll probably transfigure us into flies and then squish us with a newspaper," said Ron grimly as Harry opened the door.

Trying hard not to think about that possibility, Harry and Ron walked into the class. Thought they almost walked out again, once their eyes took in the scene.

Instead of Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape stood at the front of the class, scowling down his hooked nose. As Harry and Ron walked in, Snape's lip curled into an unpleasant smile. Ron gave a whimper and Harry had to grab the back of his robes to keep him from running out of the room.
"Well, well, well," said Snape, his black eyes dancing. It seems that Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have finally decided that we are worthy of their presence."

Harry and Ron didn't know what to say to that. Snape just smirked and said, "20 points from Gryffindor. Go sit down."
Harry and Ron shuffled off to the back, where Hermione was seated at their usual table.

"Where were you two?" she hissed as they sat down.
"Where's McGonagall?" Harry asked.
"She's out sick and Snape's filling in, "said Hermione having a hand impatiently. "Now where were you?"
"We slept in," Harry said grimly.

"WHAT?! You- but- how-?" sputtered Hermione.
"Yeah," said Ron, rounding on her. "Why didn't you come wake us?"

Hermione froze. Harry looked at her. She seemed to be temporarily dumbstruck.

"Well...I...um...you know girls aren't allowed in the boy's dormitories. Besides, I figured I'd just catch up with you at breakfast."

Ron wasn't convinced. "You mean that when we never came to breakfast, you never thought to come find us?"

Hermione shifted uneasily.

"And Hermione, you've never cared about coming into our dormitory before. Plus, you're a Prefect now! You practically run the castle," added Harry. "You could've come in without worry."

"As a Prefect I should enforce the rules, not break them! Besides, I-I had other matters to take care of!"

"More important then your friends?" Harry shot coldly.
Hermione gaped at him, at a lost for words.
Ron glared at her. "what were you doing that was so much more important than your friends?"

Hermione went pink and looked down t the desk. "Nothing. I was doing nothing."

"What were you doing?" Ron hissed.

Hermione stayed quiet.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!" Ron yelled.

"Weasley! Is there something you wish to share with the rest of us?" Snape barked across the class.

Ron went red. "No sir," he muttered.

"Another 10 points from Gryffindor," Snape send silkily as the bell rang for the end of class.
"Look, I'm really, really sorry you guys. I should've come to get you," said Hermione as they packed up their stuff.
"Forget about it Hermione," said Harry.

"Yeah," sighed Ron. "It's not like this day could get any worse..."

If only it had been that easy.

**********

It seemed as thought he day had been cursed for the both of them. After Transfiguration, in their History of Magic class, Ron fell asleep, earning himself a detention. Next, in Herbology, Harry accidentally spilled a bag of Self-Sprouting-Beans all over the greenhouse floor, causing a forest of vines to engulf the whole greenhouse. Then after an equally disastrous lunch (where Ron spilled a jug of pumpkin juice all over their Astronomy homework), they had potions, where Harry spilled a cauldron, ruining several desks and chairs, and Ron yelled at Snape, causing a combined 50 points to be taken from Gryffindor. Thoroughly stressed out, the two went to dinner without eating much or saying anything, still fuming about the day's events. Which was part of the reason why it took so long to notice what was missing.

Walking back to the dormitories, Harry stopped. He looked around then turned to Ron. "Say Ron, where's Hermione?"

Ron looked around also. "I dunno. Wasn't she at dinner?"

"I don't think so...but she was in Potions with us."

"I thought she was sitting by you at dinner."

"I never even saw her come in with us," said Harry in bewilderment. "Maybe she's in the common room. C'mon, let's go look."

They walked quickly back to Gryffindor tower. Once through the portrait hole, they both looked around for Hermione.

"There she is," said Ron, grabbing Harry and leading him over to the corner where Hermione was sitting at a table, reading a piece of parchment, with a wide grin on her face.

Harry walked over and sat in front of her. "Hey Hermione," he said.

She looked up. "Oh! Hi Harry."
"Hermione, why weren't you at dinner?" said Ron sitting down by her.
"I-um-I had to take care of something," she said. She said it calmly, but Harry noticed that she was trying to shove the parchment she was reading out of sight. Harry was going to pretend he hadn't noticed, but Ron wasn't as tactful.

"Hermione? what's that?" Ron asked pointing.

"what's what?"

"That."

"Oh, it's nothing. Absolutely noth- RON!" Hermione shrieked, as he leaned over on her, trying to get a grab at it.

"Ron! get off!" She said, throwing him off.

"What is it?"

"A letter. A letter and that's all!" Hermione said, but judging by the way she was going pink, Harry figured that wasn't all.

"well, then tell us who it's from," Harry said, trying to sound offhand.
"No one! Now will you two stop prying into my life?!" Hermione said scowling.

"We're not prying, we're just curious," said Ron. "But if you don't tell us...I guess we'll just..."

"Back off?" Hermione suggested haughtily.

"No...we'll just...find out for ourselves!!" And with that, Ron reached over, yanked the letter out of Hermione's hands, then leaped up and tore across the room, laughing like a maniac.

"RON! RON, GET BACK HERE!" Hermione screamed, running after him. but Ron just ran faster. leaned back in his chair and laughed as he watched his two best friends chase each other around the common room, knocking into people and spilling over tables. Harry shook his head and Ron laughed even harder, as Hermione started yelling out what she was going to do to him once she caught him. "I dunno what I'm going to do with those two," he thought to himself.

After about five minutes, Hermione slowed down, clutching a stitch in her side. "Fine!" she shouted at Ron, gasping for breath. " R-r-read it!"

Ron turned and looked at her, panting from running so hard. "W - w -w-what?"

"Read it! I don't care! Just know that you probably won't like it. I can't stand this. I'm going to bed."

Hermione stopped off towards the girls' staircase. then she stomped off towards her dormitory. Then she stopped and turned back to Harry.

"Goodnight, Harry," she said nicely. "I'm sorry you had a bad day."

She turned to Ron.

"You're horrible. And I'm glad you had a bad day. You deserved it."

With that, marched up the stairs.

"Goodnight Hermione," called after her, fighting not to laugh at the astonished look on Ron's face.
"Can you believe her?!" Ron said in fury. "She makes it seem like I did something awful."

"Oh yeah," said Harry sarcastically. "You weren't awful, you just butted into her business, stole her mail, and had her chase you around the common room until; she finally gave in and allowed you to read it." He rolled his eyes. "You're right, she had no reason to get mad at you."

"Okay, well, when you put it that way," Ron muttered. he looked up toward the girl's dormitory. "Should I go up and apologize?"

"Nah, stay away from her. Give her time to cool down."

"Yeah, I like having my head on my shoulders."

Ron looked at the still folded, though slightly crumbled, letter in his hands. He turned it over. Rubbed the flap of the envelope. Fingered the folds. Bent the corners.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"well what?"

Harry sighed. "Are you going to read it or not?"

Ron thought a moment then said, "No. It's her business." He tossed the letter on the table.

Ron looked at Harry, who had his mouth wide open, starring at him in disbelief.

"What?" Ron asked.

"You chase her all around the room, just to see it, and when she says okay, you don't?"

Ron shrugged.
"You're impossible," said Harry, shaking his head.

Ron grinned at him. "I figure I had a bad enough day already, without Hermione mad at me." he looked around the common room. It was still a mess from his and Hormone's chase. "Think I'll clean up a bit before I go to bed."

"Good idea, I'll wait for you."

"What? You aren't going to help?"

"Nope," said Harry laughing. "This one's your."

As Ron began to clean up, Harry looked at the letter on the table. he smiled to himself. the he remembered something that Hermione had said to Ron.

"Read it! I don't care! Just know that you probably won't like it."

Harry couldn't help himself. he reached out and picked up the letter. he was just about to open the envelope up when...

"Done!" Ron declared. "You coming Harry?"

"Yeah," said Harry getting up. "Let's go"

"Hopefully Hermione won't kill us tomorrow," said Ron with a laugh climbing the stairs. "I mean we never read the letter," he said, oblivious to the fact that Harry had pocketed it.

Author's Note: Dun Dun Duuuuun. Harry has the letter. Will they ever open it? And who's it from? What's Hermione hiding? Find out in the next exciting chapter!" Read it! I don't care! Just know that you probably won't like it.